May 5, 2009

shhhhh... I planted the tomatoes yesterday. I know, I know, way too early. But I did it anyway. 9 different - 3 cherries (one yellow pear), an early girl, better boy, brandywine, something called Health Kick, a cluster tomato (I think) and something called German Johnson.

May 3, 2009

Planted bed #2 - cut flower garden and onions. Left room for cucumbers and canteloup.
- gazania (orange cream and a multi-stripe)
- Salvia (Victoria Blue)
- Dahlias
- Gerbera Daisy (one)
- something else? (it's dark, I'll look it up tomorrow)
I want to put in some dwarf sunflowers too

3 rows onions, 1/2 yellow, 1/2 red

Planted bed #4 - 1st sowing carrots (nantes), broccoli, peppers, green beans (tendergreen) Left room for tomatoes.

Bed #3 will be corn, pumpkins and runner bean tent.

April 30, 2009

Replaced Montmorency cherry (dead) with a NorthStar. Bought (but haven't planted yet) an Anjou Pear.

April 25, 2009

All the strawberries and rhubarb have been moved to what is now the spring bed. It's full. We've had little rain this spring, though some is expected this weekend. Otherwise, I'm going to have to haul water.

April 22, 2009

3 yards of compost/topsoil mix got dumped today at the end of the driveway. Kids immediately started filling the 2 new raised beds. Yeah!

Hyacinths are going great guns. Critter under the step has started chewing off tulips. I need to get rid of him. Soon.

March 28, 2009

5 Agway bags of garden soil barely dressed 1/2 of the top right bed. But it's covered enough to start planting. 1/2 row each spinach and lettuce, 1 row shell peas, two rows snow peas. Yeah!

It got up to 68º, brilliant sunshine. Most of the snow is gone, but the ground is really only thawed about 3 or 4 inches down.

8/2/08

Rain, rain go away! It's raining again today, last night, yesterday, Thursday...

Wednesday I moved everything out of the garage bed that didn't belong there, with the exception of the Korean lilac. I'm not sure where it's headed, yet. The japanese irises got divided in half and moved to the front bed. The burning bushes got potted. I planted the two little coreopsis I picked up a month or so ago, too. Supposedly they're dwarf, but I ringed them anyway.

Tomatoes are coming on, as are the pole beans. Bush beans don't look healthy - too much water I think. Tori's been eating raspberries just about every day. When they finish, I'm going to cut them way back in prep for moving to the orchard. The strawberries need to go too.

The brush clearing is stalled - the back is sooooooo muddy. We've pulled out hundreds of stumps, and there's hundreds more.

July 27, 2008

It's not raining! We've had 9" of rain in the past week. Thunderstorms predicted for this afternoon, in fact every afternoon this week.

The front corner bed is cleaned. I pulled a lot of the coreopsis and put rings around the clumps I left. I think I'll leave the rings over the winter even, then pull any that grow other spots.

Moved 5 azaleas (2 salmon, 3 double crimson) to the back of the bed, they have settled nicely. I'm going to pot up the little spruces to give them a head start then next spring start working on a hedgerow/fence between our field and the Jerrys'.

July 23, 2008

Today it rained, yesterday it rained, Sunday it rained. Everything is lush and green and swarming with mosquitoes.

July 18, 2008

Oh, it's been humid. And hot! Thunderstorms threatened just about every day, today we had a doozy. No damage here, but lots of branches down on Main Street I heard someone at the store say he had a 60' willow hit by lightening.

Corn is about 7' tall, starting to tassel. Masses of green tomatoes. Bell peppers are about pingpong ball size, many, MANY jalapeños. Onions are good. Had a meal of green beans yesterday. They're about 6" long, ready to pick. The bean tent blew over in the storm, I'll have to fix that tomorrow.

Thinned the carrots and covered the bed with the strawberry screen to keep birds and bunnies off the lettuce. So far so good.

Raspberries are about a week or two off, and very plentiful. Can't wait. I'm going to move them over to the orchard next spring - will prepare a bed this fall. Strawberries will move too, fall or spring? I'll find out.

July 1, 2007

Garden is going gangbusters. The brush clearing continues. Uncovered a bumblebee nest at the end of the driveway - it's temporarily covered with a gallon milk container so the bees are protected from us, and we from them.

Sprayed for ants again today. I think I did it last May 1, might have been June. I'll do again August 1 and Sept 1. I think we've stirred up a nest or two dragging crap out of the brush. Tough.

June 22, 2008

Nice day, mid 70s, rain and thunder this evening. Hail was threatened, but we didn't get it.

We've started clearing the brush at the end of the driveway. Slow going, but going it is. Looks great! Something has been eating my garden - the beans (runner and bush) and the broccoli. I'm going to pick up some Irish Spring, try that first.

June 17, 2008

Cool today, 65º and rainign on and off. Thunderstorms rumble up, drop some rain, blow out. This weather is supposed to continue for the rest of the week.

Got the screen on the berry frame. Hopefully it will keep the birds off the berries. Last year we trapped a red squirrel too. Paid Simon $10 to cut the body loose.

June 14, 2008

Warm and humid again today. Now (10 pm) we're having thunderstorms and downpours. I can hear the gutters on the back of the house overflowing.

I discovered today that Miss Canada (lilac) bloomed and I missed it. Single bunch, but still... :o( White irises continue to bloom, seven sisters is a riot of scent and colour. Gorgeous!

I think I have to rebuild the bean house. Tori was far too elaborate and it won't stand. Beans are all up so my chance to get it right is limited.

June 12, 2008

Sunny, warm, ,pleasantly not humid. We had some serious thunderstorms the past few days that cleared out the 95º humidity.

Planted 4 Potentilla "Pink Beauty" (bought at 1st Season) and 36 wax begonias (Lowes clearance) in the garage bed. I'll sprinkle some poppy seeds and consider that bed finished.

Picked up another 16 belgian blocks ($2.97 at Lowes, plus $10 coupon discount) so I can continue on the front bed. I think I can use cinder blocks for the lower terraces (the below ground part anyway) to save some money.

Everything's up in the vegetable garden, but it needs to be weeded. The soils soft though, so I can use the hoe. :o)

June 6, 2008

Pulled 2 buckets of weeds yesterday from the garage bed. I think I'm going to get 4 potentillas and call it done.

All the beans are up, corn too. Need to stake the trees, both apples are listing starboard. Today it is raining. Forecast high is 77, but I don't believe we'll make it. Tomorrow, and the rest of next week - hot and humid with scattered thunderstorms. The plants will be happy, at least.

May 31, 2008

Warmish, rain last night, clear this afternoon. Thunderstorms predicted overnight, clearing tomorrow.

Planted the whole garden - Peaches and Cream Corn, pumpkins (pie and midget), watermelons, cucumbers in the first bed.
-8 tomatoes, 6 sweet peppers, 3 jalapeno. CILANTRO, onions, green beans in the second bed. Scarlet runner beans in the small 3rd bed.

Friday I planted 4 trees - Montmorency cherry, ___ hardy peach, Mac apple, Cortland apple. Keeping an eye open for a sweet cherry (Bing?) and a Gala apple or maybe a 4 in one.

May 24, 2008

Sunny after rain and wind last night. 70s, breezy.

In:
-8 tomato plants: Better Boy, Keepsake, Sweet 100, Roma Gold, Red Cherry, Cluster, Early Girl, Pink Girl
-6 Sweet Pepper
-3 Jalapeno
Cilantro
Assembled and filled 6x6 box for a runner bean teepee.

I've decided to plant corn with the vining plants. I've never had luck with sweet corn, but what the heck -it was <$2 for the seed.

Todd brought another 1/2 yard of soil. After filling the bean house bed, I'll use the rest for the front garden.

Oh! Scott cut down one of the big awful pear trees behind the house. I'm so happy to see it go, even if it does mean the end of the "ugly" viburnum.

May 23, 2008

Cool, on and off drizzle, mostly cloudy.

-Pumpkins: 1 small ornamental, 1 medium pie/carving
-2 Burpless cucumbers
-2 sugarbaby watermelons
so the first bed is planted. That was quick. ;o)

have 8 tomato starts
4 sweet pepper
4 jalapeno (might only plant 2?)
broccoli
need carrot seeds, green beans, maybe some onion starts
try to get those in this weekend.

I think I'll get some more 2x6 6 foot lengths and make a 1/2 sized bed to put a bean teepee in.

May 21, 2008

The beds are built! Laura brought 2 yards of soil yesterday, 1 1/2 are spread, the other will be done before it rains this evening. Yeah!

1st Season has fruit trees for $21. I'm going this afternoon. Wahoo!